I've been covering Northwestern basketball for three-plus seasons now. With Chris Collins at the helm, I tend to be wary of doom and gloom. He's proven his ability to get the most out of teams, and its never prudent to question whether he can pull his group out of a rut.

With that being said, the way the 'Cats are playing right now is foreign to me. I've never seen them look this bad -- not since the Boo Buie-era began.

Northwestern is now 5-3 after losing two straight games to Oklahoma State and Wisconsin. Before that, they scrapped out a two-point victory over South Carolina after losing to Virginia. Without a 25-point offensive explosion from Nick Martinelli against the Gamecocks, NU is probably sitting at .500 right now.

When I say I've never seen them look this bad, though, it isn't necessarily about the losses. Northwestern has lost games in bunches before. Playing any power-conference opponent is difficult, and the 'Cats can always afford to lose some games.

The issue is, the identity that's carried Northwestern's basketball program to heights it could have never imagined five years ago is mysteriously gone.

Let me define that identity first. It's high intensity. It's toughness. It's effort. It's diving for loose balls and boxing out hard on rebounds. It's playing tight defense and trusting that, by being in the right spot at all times, turnovers and stops will come.

That's now what we're watching so far this season. Northwestern has allowed 85 and 86 points in the past two losses, and the eye test on defense has been even worse. The 'Cats are getting beat on the perimeter far too often which is leading to excess fouls and mismatches in the paint. They also have struggled mightily to rebound the basketball, even in games they ultimately won.

All of those things are alarming to anyone who's watched this team play in recent seasons. None of them have been serious problems in the past, and if they've creeped up at times, Collins has been able to stamp them out.

One major difference is substituting Arrinten Page for longtime center Matthew Nicholson. Page is an incredible weapon on the offensive end of the floor. His bag of tricks in the post is deep, and he has the ability to shoot from long range as well. Averaging 15.8 points per game, he deserves credit.

But he's also struggled on the glass, allowing offensive rebounds that should never occur. He looks uncomfortable in the Collins defensive system, offsetting impressive blocks with lapses that lead to easy interior looks. Nicholson was exceptionally solid on that end of the floor, and the 'Cats are certainly feeling his absence thus far.

Additionally, transfer point guard Jayden Reid is small, and it's showing. Against these power conference teams, he's getting beat too often, and his ability to both defend and score in the paint is clearly a problem.

Meanwhile, NU can't get sophomore K.J. Windham going, a player who many assumed would play a major role on this year's squad. Because it's struggling to get him and three-point specialist Max Green involved, the 'Cats aren't a big threat from distance.

There are also a lot of young players on this team, and they need more time to develop. That's out of anyone's control, and it isn't a criticism, but it is a fact.

There are a lot of individual things wrong with this team right now, but the good news is they're all things Collins is most certainly working to coach around or fix. The big question mark for me is -- can he get this group playing as a team? And can he restore the identity that's led to wins in recent seasons?

That question will be answered as the season goes on. But there's no denying that what we watched last night against Wisconsin wasn't it.

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